>>I changed my tranny oil in my '78 bus because I didn't know the
>>history of the bus. By the looks of the drain plugs I'd say they
>>had never been changed. Yes there is a magnet on the drain plug,
>>but mine looked like Bart Simpsons hair do when I removed it -
>>quit a lot of metal bits were attached. When I put in the new oil,
>>which was most definitely correct and by the book oil, the tranny
>>was always stiff in first and second gears until the whole lot
>
>I had the EXACT same problem when I changed the fluid in my SO's BMW just
>after she bought it (the car, not the farm)  I changed it again a few weeks
>later and used 80/90 instead of 85/140, and the problem went away.
>

Me too, on an '85 vanagon, but for stupid reasons, I used the right grade 
oil, 80/90 Castrol, but in reading Bentley noticed for my year there was a 
half-litre less oil in the tranny than previous years. Claimed it was to 
ease shifting effort. Since I was about to tow 2000lbs 900 miles I wanted MY 
tranny 'full' so I put in the missing half-litre. Some poking of the shift 
lever and a good grunch got me from 1st to 2nd and so on. Guess you should 
heed the manual from time to time. Siphoned out the excess and things became 
easier. I still can't believe that should happen, after all it's only a bit 
of oil.......   tim s.